Budget

House Republicans put a health care program for tens of thousands of low-income Minnesotans on the chopping block as the centerpiece of a budget bill that aims to put up half of the $2 billion in tax relief GOP lawmakers hope to offer.

There’s a new pledge drive at Minnesota’s Capitol that could leave the state with an even bigger budget reserve. Gov. Mark Dayton challenged House Republicans on Tuesday to back off some of their $2 billion in proposed tax cuts.

In their unfolding budget plan, Minnesota legislative Republicans are moving to strip powers from Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, ranging from limiting his team’s authority to write regulatory rules to curbs on the administration’s staffing.

Gov. Mark Dayton has laid out a two-year budget, a transportation plan, a general construction proposal and much more. A primetime speech Thursday gives him a chance to put a finer point on his agenda and what he’ll fight hardest for in the legislative session’s final six weeks.

Minnesota lawmakers are returning from a weeklong break Tuesday to start hammering out a budget. There’s some bare bones work like funding state agencies to keep government running for the next two years and avoid the state’s third partial shutdown in the last decade.

State lawmakers will have a lot of ground to cover when they return from Easter break. Along with the first $40 billion budget in Minnesota history, a long term transportation plan is also getting a lot of attention. House Majority Leader Joyce Peppin joined the WCCO Sunday Morning show to talk about what’s ahead at the Capitol.

A major renovation of the state Capitol is threatening to run $30 million over budget, state officials advised lawmakers Friday. Documents released to a commission overseeing the overhaul show the extra costs stem from water damage repairs, security improvements and other costs. Those overruns would increase the total cost by about 10 percent, to more than $300 million.

Minnesota Senate Democrats produced a two-year budget outline Friday that would commit $555 million more for education programs and sock $250 million extra into state reserves, a framework that lands them between the ambitions of Gov. Mark Dayton and majority House Republicans.

Gov. Mark Dayton says majority House Republicans are getting a “free ride” when it comes to the state’s budget planning. Speaker Kurt Daudt says the House GOP will devote at least half of the state’s $1.8 billion surplus to tax relief while also boosting spending for education and nursing homes. Other Republicans have called to return the entire surplus to taxpayers.

Minnesota’s Department of Transportation is hoping the warmer weather over the next couple of weeks marks the end of winter weather. This winter is a big contrast to last year’s unusually harsh winter that forced MnDOT to blow past its budget by tens of millions of dollars.

The budget-setting preseason at Minnesota’s Capitol is about to give way to the session’s full-blown debate, helped along by an economic forecast that guides tax-and-spending parameters. Friday’s release of the comprehensive report will determine whether Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature still have a projected $1 billion surplus at their disposal — or if it’s gone up or down since the last look in December.

Minnesota Republican leaders today ramped up their criticism of Gov. Mark Dayton’s hefty pay hikes for his Cabinet. The Democratic governor issued a letter to the legislature, calling the pay hikes “necessary” and “legal.”

The Minnesota Zoo is asking the legislature for help with a million dollar budget deficit. Zoo officials said they may otherwise be facing some difficult decisions to make it up, including the possibility of closing some exhibits.

Getting caught texting while driving could carry a steeper fine. Entrance fees at Minnesota state parks would rise slightly to pay for upkeep. Meat, poultry, canning and other food-production plants would be more likely to come under inspection thanks to beefed-up budgets.